While Netanyahu was giving testimony, sirens sounded in Tel Aviv. The testimony continued regardless as it was taking place in an underground hall.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified before a Tel Aviv court for the third hearing in his corruption trial on Monday, with judges later approving a request for his testimony to be canceled for tomorrow.
Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman cited “special circumstances” as the reason for delaying the session, reported The Times of Israel. Netanyahu was expected to continue taking the stand on Tuesday.
The paper said Netanyahu and his defense team “had asked the judges to postpone the hearing after the premier briefly left the courtroom to deal with a message apparently unrelated to the trial.”
They reportedly “could only divulge behind closed doors why Tuesday’s hearing needed to be delayed.”
Receiving Notes Defended
According to the Jerusalem Post, on Monday, Netanyahu defended his receiving notes from aides during the trial.
The report said that after Netanyahu returned from a break to respond to a note handed to him by a staff member, “the prosecution challenged the legitimacy of the defendant receiving notes without the prosecutor or judges knowing its contents.”
Netanyahu testimony canceled for tomorrow due to ‘special circumstances’ https://t.co/EwFiK8Zglv
— The Times of Israel (@TimesofIsrael) December 16, 2024
Netanyahu argued that he wanted to give his testimony “but I am the prime minister,” adding there were “limits” to what he could do “to balance court proceedings and his responsibilities as prime minister,” the report said.
He also earlier criticized the allegedly hasty manner in which the investigation was managed, with Netanyahu reportedly saying “It was the fastest investigation ever.”
Netanyahu is facing charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust across three cases, and comes eight years after the investigations into the premier were first launched.
While Netanyahu was giving testimony, sirens sounded in Tel Aviv. According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, the testimony continued regardless as it was taking place in an underground hall.
Favors for News Coverage
In his first appearance last week, Netanyahu called the charges against him “an ocean of absurdness” and “total lies.”
The charges involve claims that Netanyahu exchanged favors and gifts from wealthy friends, including media owners in Israel, for favorable news coverage.
‘Total Lies’ – Netanyahu Rejects Charges as Corruption Trial Goes ahead
Last month, the court rejected an earlier request to delay Netanyahu’s testimony for 10 weeks due to his preoccupation with the current wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Netanyahu’s trial began in May 2020.
Opposition leaders accuse Netanyahu of escalating the Gaza war to evade his trial and to achieve a victory that could protect him from conviction and keep him in power.
ICC Warrants
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last month for “crimes against humanity and war crimes,” compelling the ICC’s 124 member states to arrest them should they enter their territory.
Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant – Israel Submits Appeal
Israel submitted an appeal on Sunday against the arrest warrants, the Israeli Army Radio reported, without providing further details.
Ongoing Genocide
Meanwhile, the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip continues with the death toll among starved and besieged Palestinian civilians rising daily.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 45,028 Palestinians have been killed, and 106,962 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023. pic.twitter.com/xbL6NWTZOV
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 16, 2024
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 45,028 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 106,962 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. However, Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern region.
(PC, Anadolu)
